Sin and Forgiveness (Matthew 18)

1. Why are the disciples asking about who the greatest is (Mt 18:1; 16:21; 17:22)? What does this show about them?
2. Is being great a requirement for entering the kingdom of God (Mt 18:2-3)? What are kingdom people like (Mt 18:3-5)? What is required (Mt 18:3)? [child - paidion]
3. Who are the "little ones" [ton micron] (Mt 18:6a)? Why does Jesus use hyperbole--such drastic language toward those who cause others to stumble (Mt 18:6b-9; 1 Cor 12:12-20)?
4. What do disciples [we] incline to do with "little ones" (Mt 18:10a)? Why should we not (Mt 18:10b, 14)? How does Jesus illustrate this (Mt 18:12-13; Lk 15:4-7; Eze 34)? Is this pragmatic or prudent (Jn 11:50)?
5. [3 Steps for Conflict resolution.] What should you do when a fellow Christian sins [against you] (Mt 18:15a; Lev 19:17-18)? Why? What is the ultimate objective (Mt 18:15b)? What would this avoid? Why do we often NOT do so?
6. What is the role of the church (Mt 18:16-17; Dt 19:15)? 
• What does it mean to "treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Mt 18:17)? 
• Why is church discipline important and necessary (Mt 18:18-20, 6, 1-5)? 
• On what basis does the church have such authority (Mt 18:18-20; 28:20)? 
• Is excommunication inconsistent with loving enemies and the golden rule (Mt 5:43-48; 7:12)?  
7. Why did Peter ask about the frequency of forgiving others (Mt 18:21)? Why did he chose "7 times" (Job 33:29-30; Amos 1:3; 2:6)? 
• How do we forgive others unlimitedly (Mt 18:22)? How much is 10,000 talents (Mt 18:24) and 100 denarii (Mt 18:28)? 
• Why do we not comprehend or grasp the greatness of God's forgiveness (Mt 18:23-31)? 
•  How serious is it to not forgive others (Mt 18:32-35)?
• What does an unforgiving heart show about the person?

Reference:

1. Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: community, cross, new creation: a contemporary introduction to New Testament ethics. Part One, 3. The Gospel of Matthew: Training for the Kingdom of Heaven. 1996. HarperCollins Publishers, NY.
2. Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2006. MATTHEW 18: The Church.

God Values the Little Ones (Mt 18:10-14)

Jesus' Disciples Do Not Despise the Dispensable and the Disposable, for Jesus the good shepherd is the model for his disciples (Mt 18:10-14).

• [1] These Little Ones (Mt 18:10a)
• [2] My Father in Heaven (Mt 18:10b)
• [3] 100 Sheep One Lost (Mt 18:12a)
• [4] Leave & Search [for the little one] (Mt 18:12b)
• [5] One Found 99 Never Strayed (Mt 18:13)
• [6] My Father in Heaven (Mt 18:14a)
• [7] These Little Ones (Mt 18:14b)

Notice the rhetorical structure in this chiasm (ring composition) composed of 7 inverted units:

• the beginning [1], middle [4] and end [7] focus on "the little ones" (Mt 18:10, 12, 14), while
• [2] and [6] are a pair of my/your "Father in heaven" (Mt 18:10, 14), and
• [3-5] are a parable on finding the one lost sheep (Mt 18:12-13) with
• [3] and [5] focusing on "the one and the many" while
• the climax in the very center [4] displays the willingness of the shepherd to risk leaving the 99 "on the hills" to go after the one that went away (Mt 18:12b).

Questions for Reflection:

1. Who are "these little ones" (Mt 18:10a)? Why might one little one wander away (Mt 18:12a; 16:24; Lk 14:26; 1 Jn 2:15-17)? Is the sheep misled or does it go astray? Is it the fault of the sheep or the shepherd?
• Might Peter denying Jesus, doubting Thomas, the 10 disciples who ran off in the garden, and the "Jerusalem street" (Lk 23:35, 48; 18:13) be among "the little ones" who strayed and went astray?
• What was Jesus "still doing" on the cross with "the little ones" (Lk 23:34)?
• Who did Jesus say is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:2-5)? 
• What does the disciples' question about the greatest show about them (Mt 18:1)? 
• Was Jesus speaking of children in general or of this particular child (Mt 18:4)?
• What does the change from "child" (Mt 18:5) [paidion] to "little ones" (Mt 18:6; 10:42) [ton micron] tell us? 
2. Why does Jesus caution/warn his disciples to "not despise/look down on" [neglect, ignore] the little ones (Mt 18:10a) [to treat others with scorn or contempt]? Why? [See Q. 3.] 
• Does this challenge the leadership of the church in every age?
• Do people/organizations/"churches" tend to despise the dispensables /disregard the powerless /overlook the non-contributors? [Or declare an interest in them as a power play?]
• Do you desire/wish to be in what C.S. Lewis calls "The Inner Ring"? [What's the motivation?] Should you not rather be a "sound craftsman"?
3. What does it mean that "the little ones" (believers) have angels before "the face of my Father in heaven" (Mt 18:10b; Ac 12:15; 1 Cor 4:9; Heb 1:14; Ps 17:8; Rev 2:1, 8, 12; 3:1, 7, 14)?
4. What does Jesus exemplify in the center/climax of the chiasm [3,4,5] (Mt 18:12-13)?
• How does the world regard the weak, the powerless, the poor, the nameless?
• Why do people not want to bother with the one sheep who couldn't keep up?
• Can the lost, the one who wandered off, find their own way home?
• What is the shepherd willing to endure in order to look for the one who is lost/went astray (Lk 15:4, 8; Jn 10:11)? How does this strengthen and encourage the 99? 
• What is the tendency of [church] leaders with regard to 1/99? 
• How might we want our [church] leaders to act?
5. What does the shepherd rejoicing over finding the lost sheep teach us about repentance (Mt 18:13; Lk 15:5-6,9; 19:10)?
• Who is the celebration and rejoicing about (Lk 15:6, 9, 24, 27, cf. Lk 15:30)? 
• When the lost one is found were they blamed, rebuked, shamed and exposed as a "bad sheep," made to feel bad?
6. Despite the intention of the Father in heaven (Mt 18:14) and the shepherd (Mt 18:12), what could still happen? Is there the possibility of failure?
7. What was Jesus expecting of his disciples (Mt 25:40; Jn 20:21; 1 Pet 5:2)?

Reference: Bailey, Kenneth E. The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament. IVP. Downers Grove, IL 60515. 2014.

What is Important for Freedom

• attention
• awareness
• discipline
• effort
• an others-centric focused life

Journey Through the Wall/Pandemic

• Emotionally healthy spirituality requires that every follower of Jesus--at some point will--go through the pain of the wall--"the dark night of the soul."** Why?
• This is God's way of rewiring and "purging our affections and passions" [our unhealthy attachments and idolatries of the world--including his blessings] so that we might delight in his love and enter into a richer, fully communion with him. Is knowing this an encouragement to your walk with God?
• Failure to understand and surrender to God working in you at the Wall results in great long-term pain, ongoing immaturity and confusion, while receiving the gift of God in the Wall transforms our lives forever.
• Just as a physical wall stops us from moving ahead, God "stops us" in our spiritual journey through a spiritual wall in order to radically transform our character.
• Often, we are brought to the Wall by circumstances and crises beyond our control and beyond our ability to handle it. How long will this last?

• Is your faith "working"? Or do you feel stuck, helpless, hopeless?
• Do you wonder what God is trying to do to you?
• In your current season of life, what is the greatest obstacle that you face? If you're going through a Wall, briefly share one way it impacted you and your view and relationship with God.

What will going through an unbearable impossible Wall do for you?

1. A greater level of brokenness.
• How "offendable" are you?
• Are you able to never be/feel insulted (when you are being criticized and judged unfairly)?
• When offended do you react, act offensively or defensively or indifferently (Whatever)?
• "Blessed is he who expects nothing [reward, approval, "blessing," etc], for he shall enjoy everything [Covid-19, dying, death]." St. Francis of Assissi.
2. A greater level of holy unknowing (mystery).
• How comfortable are you with not being in control and not knowing what will happen?
• Can success be a terrible thing, while a terrible event can be a rich blessing?
• Do you "enjoy" mystery (Ps 18:11)? [The darkest time of night is right before the dawn.]
3. A deeper ability to wait on God (Isa 40:31).
• Can you wait seemingly forever with joy, contentment, faithfulness, praises and thanksgiving (Heb 11:13)?
4. A greater detachment.
• Do you ask yourself "Am I happy?" or "Am I free? (1 Cor 7:29-31)"
• How attached are you ("nailed to") behaviors, habits, things and people in an unhealthy way?
• Do you welcome God cutting off your attachments--even to his blessings upon your life [family, friends, church] (Lk 14:26)?
• Are you content to be "in Christ alone" [with your attachments cut off] (Lk 23:46)?

Conclusions:

1. Life is hard (Lk 9:23).
• Do we subconsciously think that if we believe in Jesus and trust God, our life won't be as difficult?
2. You are not that important. 
• God and Jesus is the "I AM" (Exo 3:14; John's Gospel). We are not.
• Jesus' priority was never himself but God's glory (Jn 11:4).
• Our lives are to be lived for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).
3. Your life is not about you.
• Why do we often make it about us? About how our feelings are hurt? About our happiness?
• Life is about loving God and others (Dt 6:5; Lev 19:18; Jn 13:34; 2 Cor 5:15).
4. You are not in control.
• Why do we live as though we have control over our own lives and over the lives of others?
• We live only because God allows us to (Ac 17:28). 
5. You are going to die.
• Why do we not like to speak of death that will come upon all human beings?
• Why do we fear death?
• Our lives are entirely in God's hands (Jn 11:9-10). 

**John of the Cross divides the dark night into two levels:

1. The first level ("the night of the sense") is the one all Christians encounter as we journey with Christ.
2. The second ("the night of the spirit") is for a very few. It is "violent and severe" as we "are dragged down and immersed again into a worse degree of affliction more severe and darker and more grievous ... the brighter and purer is the supernatural and divine light, the more it darkens the soul."

Reference: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero.

Cultural Misconception of Luke 15

Points of Cultural Misconception of the Parable of the Compassionate Father

1. The request:  The prodigal's request is an unthinkable breach of traditional culture. (He wants his father to die.)
2. His father's gift:  The father reprocesses anger into grace and thereby deeply violates the code of an Oriental patriarch.  (As is shown five times in the parable).
3. A hurried sale:  The prodigal triggers the anger of the community. (He must leave town quickly.) 
4. The kezaza ceremony:  A threat hanging over the prodigal as he leaves town. (He must not lose the money.) 
5. Expensive living:  Not riotous (KJ), nor loose (RSV), nor dissolute (NRSV),  nor wild (NIV).  (The Greek word asotos is literally  a + sozo, i.e. without saving. No hints of immorality) 
6. Search for employment:  The prodigal must find a paying job so he can repurchase the land. (The kezaza ceremony now threatens.) 
7. Inauthentic Repentance: He projects A self-serving plan: (Augustinian or Pelagian?  Complications with the lost sheep and coin.) 
8. Turning point:  The costly demonstration of unexpected love. (Grace not law.  Love is offered before the confession.) 
9. A father who behaves like a mother. (The father is defined by Hosea 11, not by Middle Eastern culture.)
10. Authentic Repentance: The Prodigal Revises His speech – he is not interrupted. (Like the lost sheep, he accepts to be found). 
11. Christology:  Incarnation and atonement meet. (This happens with the shepherd, the woman and the father.) 
12. The meaning of the banquet (a theological trialogue): 
• Father's comments:  Because - He was lost and is found .. dead and is alive (divine passives)
• Young boy:  .... Because, he (the Father) received him (the prodigal)  with peace. 
• Older son:  You killed for him the fattened calf. 
13. Older son's anger at grace. (for some grace is not only amazing – it is also infuriating!)
• His mentality:  (You get what you pay for, don't you?)
• His response:  (He breaks his relationship with his father - like the prodigal, only more so.) 
14. Father's response:  The Father once again reprocessed anger into grace.  At the same time the father  urges the older son dealing with the prodigal in the same way. 
15. Older son's final reaction:  An unfinished theological symphony (participation theater). 

Reference: Kenneth E. Bailey.

Resurrection in the Face of Death (John 11)

Life Amidst Death (John 11:1-44). 

• Do you truly believe in the resurrection in the face of death, such as from Covid-19?
• What do you do when there is probable, possible, potential, problematic, palpable panic about the pandemic?

"...whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:26)

1. What is the implication of Mary and Martha's urgent message to Jesus (Jn 11:3)?
2. What does Jesus' response show us about his priority (Jn 11:4, 40)? What is your priority in the time of grave illness?
3. How is Jesus' love for Mary and Martha (Jn 11:5) expressed (Jn 11:6)? Is this how you would have responded?
4. Why did the disciples caution Jesus about returning to Judea (Jn 11:7-8)? What does this show about their main concern? How about you? What does Jesus' answer teach us about our life and death (Jn 11:9-10)?
5. How did the disciples misunderstand Jesus (Jn 11:11-14)? Why was Jesus glad that Lazarus had died (Jn 11:15)? What was his primary concern? Your primary concern? What does Thomas' response show about him (Jn 11:16)?
6. What was Martha [and later Mary] implying by her statement upon seeing Jesus (Jn 11:21, 32)? What did Martha "know" (Jn 11:22-24)?
7. What did Jesus want Martha to believe (Jn 11:25-26)? Did she (Jn 11:27)?
8. Why was Jesus deeply moved/angry (Jn 11:33)? Why did he weep (Jn 11:35)? What did the Jews think (Jn 11:36-37)?
9. What did Jesus want Martha [and us] to believe and see (Jn 11:40)? What was the disconnect between what she knew and believed (Jn 11:22, 24, 27, 39)?
10. Is there a "downside" of Lazarus being raised from the dead (Jn 11:13, 17, 44)?